Crazy Little Change Called Fate
by TheTroubledNeophyte
Summary: How would one rash decision change her life? Watch the life of the girl-who-will-never-be-the-same as the crazy little change called fate teaches her about a crazy little thing called love.
1. PROLOGUE

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **'Squeals' Yay! Mario Maurer just visited our country this year to make a film! I am once again bitten by the Mario fever! For those of you who do not know him, he is a Thai actor best known for his part in the movies Love of Siam, a homosexual teenage romance film about finding one's self and sorting your priorities in life and the movie, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, a heterosexual school romance film. Personally I like Love of Siam better but many favour the movie Crazy Little Thing Called Love, so here I am making a story out of it, but I will also release another one about Love of Siam. If you do not know the film I am talking about then just wiki or google it.

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**PROLOGUE: THE BEGINNINGS OF NAM: THE GIRL-WHOSE-LIFE-CHANGED**

"Are you sure that no one will know that we left the freak here, Vernon?" asked Petunia Dursley as she looked at the bed and breakfast that they just spent the night at. They are currently in Thailand for a job deal that Vernon's company wanted to settle. The place where they sent them was mediocre at best if she was asked. It was full of wooden stuff; it doesn't even have an air conditioning unit in their reception! The nerve of these people building a bed and breakfast that can only be classified as a dump in her opinion. The way she sees it the freak would fit in right in this place.

"I'm sure Petunia, I doubt it that those freaks would follow us all the way from England to here. So stop stalling and let us get out of this dump and find us a better place to stay in."

"Yes, your right Vernon! But what if the freaks come and ask about, well about her?"

"We will deny that she ever showed up in our doorstep then, good riddance I say."

"Yes, yes, we will just act like the girl never dirtied our steps, no one will know better", Petunia said as Vernon lead her away from her niece, away from the girl-who-will-never-be-the-same.

"Hon, come down here quick!" a woman's voice carried through the house.

"Yes, what is it?" asked the woman's husband as he stepped out of the kitchen at the back of the bread and breakfast that they manage.

"We do not have any guests today, right?"

"Yes, the ones from England left yesterday evening. Why are you asking, is something the matter?"

"There is a baby on the counter."

"Hahaha! That's a good one! Never knew you were such a joker in the morning!"

"No, I'm serious, there's a baby on the counter!"

"What?! Who left a baby here?"

"Must be those guests from England, they had a baby with them when they arrived remember."

"That must be why they were very anxious to get out of here then. Do you think they really did just abandon a child? In a country far away from theirs even!" said the woman as she picked up the sleeping infant and stared at the baby girl who is completely unaware of the going-ons around her.

"We will never know. So what would you name her then?" asked the woman's husband

"Name her? Why would we name her?" asked the woman with a surprised expression.

"Well, don't you think that maybe this is the Lord's way of answering our prayers? We have been trying for so long to have a child but we just can't have one. Maybe the reason why this child is left specifically in our home is to give us a chance to raise a child, to raise a child that we can call ours." Answered the man as he walked closer to his wife then wrapped his arms around her waist while staring down at the infant.

The woman was silent for a long while, clearly thinking of something very deeply. She then looked up at his husband and said just one word that was able to bring a smile to her husband's face.

"Nam"

"Welcome to the family then P'Nam"

Seven years have passed since the couple decided to take in Nam and both can say that it was the best decision that they have ever made in their lifetime. Nam was a very energetic young girl. She is always smiling and laughing, it was rare to see her down. Her mom just wished that her little girl would have been more blessed in the looks department. Truth be told, she was quite sure that her little girl would have grown up to be quite a looker once she grew up but it seems that countless hours of playing outside and the several tumbles she made while playing has taken a toll on her. Her once fair skin turned dark. Her dark complexion is not even balanced, it was uneven, and some parts of her skin were darker than others. It is also a shame that her beautiful eyes have to be covered up with glasses. It was such a lovely shade of green, the first time she saw her daughter's eyes she was instantly reminded by the lush leaves of the trees that she once saw at the temples. She was disappointed when they learned that they had to cover up those eyes since her precious Nam has bad eyesight. Though whatever Nam lacked in her physical attributes, she sure made up with everything else. She has such a big heart that is always willing to love those who are often looked down on. Her friends were all underdogs of the society, one looked down on because she was a bit of a tomboy, another who was always ridiculed for being fat, and another one always ignored for being too plain. All of them found solace within each other and since then they were always together, the only time you an see them apart is when it is already time for them to sleep.

"Mom! Can I go to Cheer's please? I have finished all my chores and I even took a bath!"

"Okay then, just be sure to return before nightfall."

"Yes! Thanks mom!"

She smiled as she saw her daughter run out of their home and she can't help but think that her daughter truly is precious.

Nam is walking down the street to go play at her friend Cheer's house. She was sure that they were going to have fun today. Cheer said that she has a new cooking set that they can play with and she can't wait to try them out. As she was nearing Cheer's house she heard loud laughing coming around the street bend. She decided to walk a little faster to see what the laughing is about, it is on the way to Cheer's anyway. Once she turned on the street, she saw several kids laughing as they were running away. There was also a young boy standing there who she was sure was crying. She approached the boy and stood in front of him.

"Hello there!" she greeted once she saw the kid look at her.

"What do you want?" grumbled the kid as he gazed away from her.

"Are you crying?" she asked, not deterred by the boy's stand-offish attitude.

"What's it to you?" replied the boy quite rudely.

"Hey what's with that attitude anyway, I'm just trying to help you here!" she replied while putting her hand on her hips.

"Well I don't need your help!" shouted the boy.

"Who are you kidding anyway? You have cuts on your arms see? Right here." Nam said as she took a hold of the boy's arms and pointed at the cuts there.

"That's nothing, I just fell off the tree over there."

"Pretty clumsy of you then. Did you really climb a tree? I wish I could climb one, I would really like to get me some mangoes." Nam replied as she gazed at the mango tree near them.

"What's with you anyway, why are you even talking to me?"

"Oh, that, I don't know, I just felt like it." Replied Nam with a shrug.

"You just felt like it?" said the boy in front of her while staring at her weirdly

"Yep, and to do this", she touched the cuts and started humming.

The young boy was about to ask her what her problem was when he suddenly felt the sting from his cuts slowly disappear, the place where she touched him sure was warm. It feels really good as well. Like a nice hot bath on a cold day. He stared at the girl's hands which were touching him, and then he looked at her face. She was, well, not pretty. She kind of reminds him of a bug. He just continues to stare at her as she finished her humming.

"There! Isn't that a lot better."

"What did you do?" he asked as he stared at his arms and saw that the cuts were still there but the discomfort he felt from it earlier was gone, just like magic.

"My mom told me that when you are hurt just sing the pain away!"

"Sing the pain away?"

"Uh-uh! Well bye-bye then, your arms are okay now right? I have to go to Cheer's now, bye-bye!" she said as she turned around and continued her way down the street.

"Wait, what's your name!?" shouted the boy as he saw Nam walk down the street.

"Nam! My name is Nam!" the girl said as she continued her walk.

The boy just stood there staring at the place where Nam just walked to.

"Nam, huh, I hope we'll meet again Nam" and just like that Chon forgot his troubles and walked back home.

A year later

"Dad do you really have to go away?" asked Nam as he watched his father pack away his clothes.

"Nam, it's not like I'm never coming back. I am just going to London to work there." answered his dad

"But you already have work here, why do you have to go so far away?"

"Nam, you and your mother know that our business is not so profitable these days and with your mother had just given birth to Pang, we will need all the money that we can get."

"But I can help Dad, I will help you and Mom here then more customers will come!" said Nam to his Dad.

"Aww, you're the sweetest Nam but just let me and your mom handle this okay?"

"You'll be coming back right?"

"Of course"

"And you will write to us always?"

"Always"

And with that Nam hugged his Dad tightly knowing that it would take a while before she can hug her Dad like this ever again. Once she let go of her hold on her dad, she held his hand as the both of them went down the house. She saw her mother and her baby sister near the door, obviously waiting for the both of them. Once they got to them, his dad hugged her mother and kissed her baby sister on the forehead. She went beside his Dad and said one final goodbye before finally sending his father off.

6 years later

Nam can't believe how fast time has gone. She is now an M-1 student. It seems like yesterday when she saw his father leave for work and now she is on M1 education. She is currently walking towards the shop near the main road with her friends. She looked at her watch and saw that it was nearing that time of the day. She grabbed her friend's hands and pulled them to the shop. Her friends were all laughing at her as they fell in line to order some food while she headed straight to the seats near the window. She looked at her watch again and saw that she was just in time. And just as she's expecting, a red motorcycle appeared at the end of the road. Driving the motorcycle is a tall, fair-skinned, handsome young man. She just stared at him from the shop's windows. She got near the window and stared dreamily outside. While she was staring outside, she did not notice her friends approaching her with their ordered meals. They all followed her gaze and smiled quite slyly.

"So this is why you always ask us to go at this shop!" they all said behind her.

"What! I just like the food here." She replied while discreetly stealing glances outside. She gave a short scream when her friends suddenly grabbed her one pinching her cheeks apart, another holding her nose up and the other widening her eyes. As they were doing this they were shouting "LOOK AT HER! LOOK AT HER!" to the people outside the window. Luckily for her the stop light changed color prompting the young man to ride away on his motorcycle. She secretly sighed in relief, knowing that her crush had not seen her in that embarrassing moment.

"So you have a crush on P'Chon huh?" said -, her tomboyish friend.

"Well, he is smart and good-looking, can't blame you there" said Cheer, her somehow big-boned friend.

"I don't have a crush on him! He just blocked the view when I was looking outside the window and his motorcycle looks weird." She said lamely, cursing herself for not even coming up with a believable excuse.

"Sure!" said her friends at the same time while laughing at her beet red face.

"Come on, let's go home already." She said as a way to salvage her remaining shame from her friend's teasing.

They all walked home, talking about things that only friends truly understand but may seem nonsense to other people. She said goodbye to them as they neared her place. She watched them turn the corner before walking towards her place. She was about to go up to her room when she saw her mom talking to someone in the reception area of their bed and breakfast. She went to the reception area to help her mom with the guest when she recognized the man sitting across her mom as his uncle. She smiled widely and shouted,

"UNCLE CHANG!" she ran and hugged her uncle tightly

"Oh-oh Nam! Look how grown up you are! Last time I saw you, you were just a young girl, now you're turning into quite a lady!"

"Thank you uncle!"

"Come sit for a while Nam, your uncle has some news from your father." said her mom once she finished talking with her uncle.

"Well as your mom is saying, I have some news from your dad." Her uncle opened his bag and gave them a picture of her dad in front of a restaurant. "Your father is quite lucky this year! Thai cuisine is a big hit in London nowadays. Business is booming there! That is why he asked me to tell to all of you, especially to you and Pang that whoever gets the first place in the school ranking will be able to go to London!"

"WAAH! REALLY!" said Pang and Nam as they heard the news.

"But plane tickets are very expensive", murmured Nam

"That is why it is a competition between the two of you! Only one of you will be able to go to London so you better work for it!" exclaimed her uncle.

Nam took hold of her dad's picture and gazed at it intently. "I'll make sure that I win this dad, I will be the one to visit and see you there at London! I will get that first place ranking!"

"From thirtieth place? Good luck Nam." Stated her sister Pang "At least I'm in the top ten"

"That is why your father chose that condition, so that the both of you will work hard for it, getting first rank is not an easy fit" said their mother as she smiled at the both of them.

"Just you see mom, I'll get that first ranking!"

Nam and her friends are sitting along the benches lining their school's field. They all just took a test from a magazine that would supposedly tell them what kind of guy suits them the best.

"Hey, my score is 25", said Nim once she finished calculating her score.

"25, the guy that suits you best is one who is a leader, always calm and collected and never loses his cool"

"Well that looks like P'Kai, the president of the Buddist Club"

"Well, how about e then, I got 18"said Cheer as she handed over her results.

"Let us see, 18, that ens that the guy most suitble for you is a sporty type, an athlete then."

"Looks like it could be ny of the football plyers for you then Cheer" said Nam.

"Well, I for one know that I don't need these test to find the type of guy that suits me the most. The ony guy tht I can be with is surely a gangster type."

"Like P'Maew then, he sure is wild one"

"How about you, Nam, what score did you get?"

"I got 30." Nm replied to her friends.

"Well 30, this ere says that your type of guy is someone who is artistic. Toug luck Nam, we don't know anyone who is artistic." said her friend.

"Artistic, huh?" sid Nm looking strightly t the field where P'chon is at, completely disregarding her friends comment.

IN CLASS

"Your scores for this exam were quite low, class!" Teacher In stated as she went around the classroom handing out test papers to her students.

"English is quite an easy subject, you just have to study!" she continued

Nam waited anxiously for her paper. She was quite sure that she had a high score. Ever since her father made that competition, she has been polishing her English skills, which was quite a challenge since Thai and English were so different from each other but she did it in preparation for her expected visit to London. And just as she was expecting, she got a near-perfect score just a few misses here and there. She can't help the smile that blossomed from her face as she saw her score. She could have fled to lala-land if it wasn't for Teacher In.

"Drop that smile from your face Nam! You may have a good grasp of the English subject but aside from that all your subjects are failing!" reprimanded Teacher In

Well, that trip to London may need a little more work, if Nam was asked. Teacher In continued her class and the class returned to that dull state when anyone can fall asleep. To get away from the sleepy aura in the class, Nam asked permission to go to the comfort room which was given to her by Teacher In. Once outside of the classroom se walked to the direction of the bathroom. She looked around her and when she saw that there was currently no one in the corridors aside from her, she took the stairs near the comfort room that lead to the floor the M-4 students were in. She walked slowly on the M-4 corridor and stole a glance at one of the classrooms there. She gave a small smile when she caught a glimpse of P'Chon from the open door of the classroom. She continued her walk to the end of the corridor. Once she reached the end of the corridor. She gave a small squeal of delight and jumped a bit to calm her. She took a deep breath and decided to take one more glance before she returns to her classroom. She treaded the corridor once again but gave a sudden pause as she saw P'Chon standing outside his classroom standing on one leg and with his arms spread wide. He is clearly being punished for something. She continued his walk and then saw P'Chon take out his earphones from his pocket, clearly intending to listen to some music, which would only add to his punishment. Nam continued walking, acting as if she saw nothing and when she was near P'Chon she suddenly became nervous and took faster walks just to get it over with. P'Chon noticed her and motioned her to stay silent about what he is doing. She blushed because of the small attention given to her by her crush and if that wasn't enough P'Chon started to act silly and dance like a loon. Fearing that she might laugh or blush to death, Nam took to the stairs at breakneck speed to return to her classroom. From then on her days were spent with stealing glances at the M-4 corridor whenever it is their break time or watching from the shop windows every time class ends.

One time after class, when they were in the shop where Nam can see Chon on his way home. Cheer and - were giggling like crazy as they were staring at a book that Cheer was holding.

"What is the matter with you two?", asked Nam

"Well you know how P'Ying got to get that M-5 student to go out with her? And how P'Tang started to date the football captain?"

"Yeah, it was all over the school, why?"asked Nam

"Well this is the book that led them to their current love lifes."

And with that Cheer showed them an orange covered book entitled _'The 9 Recipes Of Love' _and with that Nam's story finally takes a turn, what they don't know is if it is for better or worse.

_To be continued..._

**NEXT CHAPTER: The First Steps To Love**


	2. FIRST STEPS

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE: (PLEASE READ) **I have moved the category of the story in hopes that more readers will be able to read and critic my work. I know that the fandom I picked is known primarily to Asians (Thai, Chinese, Indonesians, and Filipinos to be exact), but I do hope that you do give this story a chance. As for those who have read this story I sincerely ask that you leave a review regarding your thoughts, your reactions, suggestions, and even your critics. Please ask your friends to read this story as well! **NOW TO THE IMPORTANT PART. **For those of you who know the movie A Crazy Little Thing Called Love, then you must know about P'Chon's notebook or scrapbook. Regarding that, I am making a counter-part on this story. The counterpart will revolve around Chon's thoughts and actions. My plan is to tell the story up to the confession in Nam's point of view then switch to Chon's view starting from the beginning then once I am finished with Chon's story I will continue the story as to where the first part left off. The third part will then tell the story of our two characters during the years they are apart and the happenings after they reunite. So all-in-all this is a 3-part story. What I want to know is whether you want me to post Chon's story simultaneously with the story of Nam. Please drop your vote in the reviews!

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_Last time..._

"_What is the matter with you two?" asked Nam_

"_Well you know how P'Ying got to get that M-5 student to go out with her? And how P'Tang started to date the football captain?"_

"_Yeah, it was all over the school, why?"Asked Nam_

"_Well this is the book that led them to their current love lives."_

_And with that Cheer showed them an orange covered book entitled 'The 9 Recipes of Love' and with that Nam's story finally takes a turn, what they don't know is if it is for better or worse._

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As Cheer, Gie, and Nim were busy taking turns reading the book '9 Recipes of Love', Nam was reading another book entitled 'How to Get the 1st Raking'. Noticing that Nam was not paying any attention to them, Cheer bent her head a little to see what her friend was reading.

"Really Nam? How to get the 1st ranking? You can barely move from the 30th spot and now you're aiming for the top spot?" asked Cheer.

"What's wrong with that? I really miss my dad, it has been a long time since I saw him and this is my only way to see him at last." Nam grumbled as she continued reading her book.

"Well good luck with you then Nam. Just don't forget us once you are there in London!" said Gie

"Sure thing! Just you wait I will get that 1st ranking!" Nam said as she stood up and cleared her things from the table as they prepared to leave the shop.

"Well don't you want to read this book Nam, who knows it might work for you!" said Nim as they walked home.

"I'd rather focus on my study for now. Winning that trip to London is my priority until then I will remove any distractions from gaining that goal."

"Well, too bad for you then. You do not know what you are missing." Cheer said as she flipped through the pages of the 9recipes book. "Let us see, the first step came from Greece. The people from Greece believe that you should write the name of the man of your dreams by connecting the stars. After doing this, it is believed that the person whose name you wrote would pay you more attention."

Nim, Gie, and Cheer looked at one another and ran as fast as they could towards their respective homes to do the first step, leaving Nam all alone near the front steps of her home.

"Guess that's goodbye" said Nam as she stepped inside. "Sawadee ka mom!" greeted Nam as she placed her stuff at the reception area of their bed and breakfast.

"I'm here in the kitchen Nam!"

Nam walked towards the kitchen where she saw her mom and her little sister Pang. Her mom was cooking dinner for them and the guests while Pang was sitting on a table reading a book.

"How was school, Nam?" asked her mom while she stirred her cooking

"It was fine, same as everyday actually, I was with Cheer, Gie, and Nim as usual." answered Nam as she helped peel some of the vegetables on the table.

"Aren't you tired of seeing each other's faces every day? You have been with them since kindergarten."

"With a face like Nam, she can't be choosy with her friends. Unlike me who actually look like mom, Nam can't find decent looking friends. I'm lucky I don't look like Nam, at least when I grow up I can have a boyfriend." Pang said to her sister then sticking her tongue out at her.

"Friends are not only about looks Pang!" her mom chided her

"Yeah, mom's right! At least I have friends unlike someone I know!"

"Hey, I have friends!"

"Name some then." said Nam as she studied her fingernails, pretty confident that she is right.

"Well, there's... uhmmm... I have acquaintances!"

"Uh-uh, acquaintances not friends!"

"Enough of that Pang, you too Nam. You two are no longer children yet you still fight every single time."

"Well, what I said was true." Said Pang as she resumed her reading

"Enough Pang. Nam, tomorrow morning, can you go to the market and buy some more vegetables? We are nearly out now."

"Sure, mom. I'll go first thing in the morning."

Nam kissed her mom good night and went upstairs to her room. She placed her things on her study table and sat down. She glanced up towards the sky that can be seen from her window.

"Trace the stars huh?" Nam asked herself. She straightened her body and leaned towards the window; she then lifted her hands and traced the stars. She then went to bed and gazed outside the window. She can't help but smile as she looked at the stars. In her eyes she can clearly see the name she carefully wrote. In her eyes, the stars seem to write: _P'Chon_.

-IN THE MORNING-

Nam placed the vegetables she bought from the market down for a while. She has walked a fair distance from the market and the weight of the vegetables is starting to get to her. She was about to pick up the plastic bags when suddenly...

"AAHHH!" Nam let out a shrill scream as someone jumped from a tree and landed in front of her.

She tried to calm herself and control her rapidly beating heart caused by the unexpected scare. Once she calmed herself, she felt a sudden bout of irritation towards the person that scared her. She was about to tell off the one who scared her but she fell to a sudden stop. There in front of her was P'Chon. He was carrying a kitten in one hand and a branch of mangoes in the other. All the words she wanted to say died in her throat. Her eyes were wide and she knew that she practically looked like a cornered animal right now. Chon straightened and looked at her. Nam suddenly had tunnel vision, all she could see was Chon standing and smiling in front of her. She would have loved to stay in that position but Chon broke her trance.

"Mangoes?" asked Chon, showing her the mangoes in his hand.

Nam was not able to talk as she took a branch of mangoes from Chon. She was transfixed in that spot as Chon walked away carrying the kitten then placing it near a cat slumbering in the sidewalk. Chon has disappeared from her sight and she still can't seem to get over the fact that Chon actually noticed her. Once she snapped out of her daze, she glanced at the vegetables she bought from the market and placed the mangoes inside one of the plastic bags. While walking home she can't help but glance down towards the plastic bag holding the windows and she can't help but think...

"_Maybe the Greeks were right..."_

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It was once again a weekday and Nam and her friends were eating in the cafeteria. She was quite distracted with her new eyeglasses that day. Her doctor has changed her prescription since they found out that her eyesight is gradually getting better and keeping her in the same prescription may hinder that progress.

"Something is different about you today Nam." stated Nim as she looked closely at her friend.

"It must be my new glasses. I'm wearing new ones today. Do I look good?" asked Nam as she showed them her new glasses

"Well, you look different, but in a bad different." said Gie as she too looked at her friend closely.

"What? How come?" asked Nam

"No offence Nam but your new glasses is kind of big. You look like a bug more than you did then." Stated Cheer

"Really?" said Nam dejectedly

"Well, away from that topic. Have any of you tried that second step in the book?" said Nim

"I'm about to try it now." said Cheer. Cheer looked at a guy two rows in front of her. She narrowed her eyes then started to chant. "YOU WILL EAT! YOU WILL EAT! YOU WILL EAT!" Then the guy she was staring at took a bite from his meal.

"Yes I did it!"

"Uhhm, which is probably because we are in a cafeteria where everyone eats Cheer." said Nim

"What are you doing anyway?" asked Nam

"Well it is said in the book that when you try to hypnotize a guy and he actually does as you say then he most probably is your soul mate. Why don't you try it Nam."

"I think I'll pass on that. It probably isn't true anyway." said Nam. She removed her gaze from them then searched for someone in the cafeteria. Several rows to their left is where majority of the M-4 students are currently sitting. She moved her gaze among them until she found the one she was looking for. She stared hard at the back of P'Chon's head and started mouthing the words _'Look this way. Look this way. Look this way.'_

A few second after she started her own chant, P'Chon turned his head towards her direction. She quickly turned her head away and excitedly said to herself, "He turned!" as she smiled to herself, Cheer was looking at her weirdly and then decided to ask,

"So, did you make P'Chon turn his head?"

"Yes- I mean no! Why would he turn his head?" said Nam

"You can't fool us Nam! So why did you say it wasn't true anyway?" asked Gie

"Well, I was afraid that I would get teased." murmured Nam

"Aww, you don't have to worry about that because" Cheer looked at Gie and Nim and the three of them said together "WE WILL DEFINITELY TEASE YOU!" then the three of them started to laugh at Nam's expense.

"But seriously Nam, I think you should forget about your crush on him." Said Cheer

"Why should I?" asked Nam to Cheer

"Well you see, he has a reputation of breaking girl's hearts." Said Cheer

"Well I don't believe you."

"It's true! I swear! Two girls from that school he used to go to changed schools because of him." And with that Cheer, Gie, and Nim started to talk about the two girls that left school, leaving Nam to her thoughts.

'_He's a trouble-maker?'_

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"Okay, let us proceed to step three then" Cheer said as they stood around their motorcycles where they have a clear view of P'Chon discussing about helping Nam get the attention of P'Chon.

"Well let us see, this one is from Scotland, it is a known belief that one should give the person they like a gift without the person they like knowing who gave it to them. It is a way of letting the person you like that someone is interested in them while giving you a shroud of mystery." Said Nim

"So what do you want to give him then?"

"Uhhm, mangoes!" said Nam confidently

"Mangoes, why mangoes? Normal people would give the person they like chocolates."

As they were discussing, another M-1 student approached P'Chon.

"Hey look, isn't that P'Faye? From Teacher Orn's class?"

They watched as P'Faye approached Chon and gave him a slice of mango cake.

"We should give up now." Said Gie

"Yeah, look at her, she is cute and she only did one thing and everything this book said has gone to flames" added Nim

"Better change who you crush on then Nam."

"Well, she's just cute, I'm sure I am way better than her." said Nam though she did not sound as sure as she wants to be.

'_If only I don't have to wear this glasses then I'm sure I will definitely look better than her.' _ Nam thought as she stared at P'Faye and P'Chon. Unseen to her and her friends a subtle light surrounded her eyes.

"Look let us just go buy some chocolates if you are still sure that you want to do this." said Nim

"Well, I sort of did that already." said Nam as she pulled out a box of chocolates from her bag.

"Why did we have to go through all this discussion if you already have a box of chocolates with you?" asked Cheer.

"Well, I sort of did not know how to approach him and give this to him"

"Well, let's just wait for them to leave then we can put it on his motorcycle. Let's just go buy some design for this box; it's too plain to look at."

=a few moments later=

"Whoa, have we really been gone that long?" asked Gie

There in clear view was Chon's motorcycle filled with gifts from flowers to chocolates to letters and many more.

"Well, let's get to it then girls" said Cheer.

They all walked towards Chon's motorcycle. Cheer, Gie, and Nim removed the gifts from Chon's motorcycle. Once the motorcycle was devoid of gifts, Nam placed the box of chocolate on top of the motorcycle's seat. With that, they all walked away carrying with them the gifts from Chon's various admirers. They hid behind a building overlooking the parking lot. They have eaten some of the gifts they took when they saw Chon arrive. They watched with bated breath as they saw Chon pick up Nam's gift from the motorcycle. It would have been perfect if not for the fact that some of the chocolate melted and flowed down the corners of the box. They all gave a groan and slid down the wall.

"We forgot about one thing, we live in a tropical country." said Cheer.

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'_Another day, another failure'_ thought Nam as she sat on her bed browsing through her How to Get 1st Ranking book. Really, all she had to do was give a decent gift to Chon and Mother Nature herself decided to melt them. She released a sigh as she set the book she is reading down. She can no longer concentrate with the thoughts running around her head. She stood up and went in front of the mirror in her room. She stared hard at her reflection. She looked at her door to make sure that it is locked then checked that no one can see her from the window. Once she was sure that no one can see her, she made a fool out of herself as she tried out different poses. She tried sticking a part of her tongue out, winking at her reflection, curling a part of her hair in her fingers, doing the universal Asian pose, and many more that she saw several of the girls in the school do whenever they have their picture taken. She hated to admit it but instead of making her seem cute it just served to make her look weirder than she already is.

'_I really am a lost cause. I'm trying to look cute and I manage to make myself look like a clown.' _Nam thought as she went to bed. _'Maybe Pang is right. With the way I look, I can never have a boyfriend. With the way I am today, how can P'Chon even notice me?'_

"I wish I can be as beautiful as mom. If I only look like her then P'Chon would at least notice me." Nam said aloud before she closed her eyes in preparation for a deep slumber. She did not notice the shooting star that appeared or the twinkle that the star produced once she made her wish.

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"At last we're near the end of the line! I'm dying of thirst here!" Cheer said as the line towards the food stall moved.

"You're over-exaggerating Cheer, and besides we're next in line so you'll have your drink shortly okay." said Nam as she turned to face the vendor in the stall. She was about to order their drinks when she was roughly pushed to the side.

"2 drinks, the extra cold ones okay." heard Nam as her friends helped her get up from the ground. She dusted herself off to remove the dust that was clinging to her uniform. She puffed up her chest and placed her hands on her hips, she walked towards the boy who pushed her and tapped his shoulder to get his attention. Once the boy turned, she smiled at him then raised her left hand and slapped him with all her might.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT, YOU BASTARD!" yelled Nam as she glared at P'Ding, a member of the basketball team and the boy who pushed him.

"HOW DARE YOU SLAP ME? You know who I am? I'm part of the basketball team! We are far more important than you, and we will always come first before some nobody like you!" said P'Ding with an ugly arrogant smirk on his face.

Nam was about to answer back when someone walked in between her and P'Ding. She watched as P'Chon passed between them and went straight to the vendor.

"4 drinks please." P'Chon gathered the drinks he ordered and walked back towards Nam. Nam just stood there, unsure of what she is going to do.

"I hope Pepsi is okay?" P'Chon asked her as he handed the four glasses of Pepsi to her.

"Uhhmm, yes" Nam answered as she took the drinks from Chon. Nam watched as Chon walked away from them and saw him give a small smirk towards P'Ding. She smiled at the dumbstruck look that P'Ding sported when Chon walked pass him. Nam returned to her friends and gave them their drinks. She looked at the glass in her hands and at Chon who was currently walking at the field.

'_He's a trouble-maker, huh? I guess the rumours are wrong then.' _thought Nam as she smiled at the glass in her hands.

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"Won't you drink that Nam? What's the point of P'Chon giving you that if you won't even drink it?" asked Cheer

They were currently at Nam's place. They decided to swing by Nam's for a while before heading home so they can do their homework together.

"I will drink it later." replied Nam

"But it's been hours since he gave you that drink, Nam. I bet you my allowance that it tastes bad now."

"Oh hush you, let her stare at it for a while. That may be the only thing she can ever get from P'Chon."

"HEY! I'm just not thirsty enough, that's why I'm not drinking it yet." said Nam as her friends started to laugh at her.

"Well, we will just check up on that drink of yours tomorrow then, it's getting late and I promised my mom that I would help clean up at the parlor." said Cheer as she gathered her things and got ready to leave.

"Alright, see you tomorrow then." Nam said as she led her friends outside. She waved at her friends till they turned their backs. Nam waited outside her house until they left her sight. Once they were fully gone, she ran inside and grabbed a pen and she grabbed a post-it note from the reception area. She sat down and wrote _'DO NOT DRINK' _in the post-it note. She then grabbed the glass and placed the note at the body of the glass. She stared at her work for a while and then placed the glass in their refrigerator. She stared at the glass for a while before closing the refrigerator. She walked up to her room with a silly little smile on her face and small springs in her steps.

'_P'Chon noticed me!'_

_to be continued..._

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**NEXT CHAPTER: A FORGOTTEN PAST**


	3. DEJA VU

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Hello everyone! I apologize now if I did not reply to your questions. When that happens, it means that the answer to your question will play an important part in the upcoming events in the life of our heroine. I am also encouraging you to share your thoughts about my story so I can improve in areas you think that my writing is lacking. Please help this wannabe-writer grow! =)

**SPECIAL GIFT: **If there is a scene in the chapter that you would want to see then tell me in a review and I would give you a link to a video that will show your favourite scene, you can also ask for the picture of a character in this story that you would like to see!

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_Last time..._

"_Alright, see you tomorrow then." Nam said as she led her friends outside. She waved at her friends till they turned their backs. Nam waited outside her house until they left her sight. Once they were fully gone, she ran inside and grabbed a pen and she grabbed a post-it note from the reception area. She sat down and wrote 'DO NOT DRINK' in the post-it note. She then grabbed the glass and placed the note at the body of the glass. She stared at her work for a while and then placed the glass in their refrigerator. She stared at the glass for a while before closing the refrigerator. She walked up to her room with a silly little smile on her face and small springs in her steps. _

'_P'Chon noticed me!' _

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"She hasn't gotten over it yet?" Cheer asked as she, Nim, and Gie stared at their friend Nam. Nam was currently staring at the blackboard with a far-away gaze and a silly grin on her face.

"Do you think we should poke her? I've got a sharp pencil here." said Gie

"No way, this is too good to pass up. Any of you have a camera with you?" said Cheer

"But what if Teacher Inn comes?"

"Just let her be for a while, besides our first subject is English, Nam can answer Teacher Inn's questions even if she is sleeping."

"I don't know about you guys but she is starting to creep me out" with that Nim stood up from her desk and walked over to Nam. She tapped her friend on the shoulder to get her attention. She tapped her once, twice, and for a third time but Nam just continued to stare dreamily in front of her. Fearing for her friend's sanity Nim crouched in front of her friend and gently took hold of her friend's shoulder.

"Nam?" Nim called her friend's name softly. Then Nam's gaze slowly moved from the position she was staring at to look Nim straight in the eyes. Nim can't help but flinch from her friend's stare. One of the things she could never get used to was staring directly through Nam's eyes. They were just so _green_. If normally meeting her friend's stare unnerves her, seeing those green irises of her friend with that dream-like quality was just _otherworldly._

"Yes Nim?" Nam asked her friend with a silly grin adorning her face. Nim snapped out of her thoughts and once again focused on the matter at hand.

"Are you okay? You've been out of it since this morning."

"Hmm? Why won't I be okay? It's such a fine day, don't you agree? I daresay it is the greatest day yet!"

"Uhhmm, okay then Nam, I'll just return to my seat over there." said Nim while slowly walking back to her desk while facing her friend. Once Nam returned her gaze to wherever it was in the first place, Nim quickened her steps back to her place.

"It's confirmed, she's gone insane!" Nim whispered furiously to Cheer once she got settled down.

"I told you to let her be but did you listen to me?"

"What's up with her anyway?"

"I told you that she hasn't gotten over _it _yet."

"That's what I don't get! What is _it_?"

"She can't get over the fact that P'Chon practically gave her a gift yesterday!"

"You're joking right?" asked Nim

Nim and Cheer continued their conversation. The both of them were too engrossed with what they are talking about that they did not notice the room suddenly becoming silent with the entrance of Teacher Inn. Having seen that two of her students did not notice her, she grabbed a piece of paper from her desk and wrote a small note. Teacher Inn walked towards Nim and Cheer and placed the note on top of their desk. Written on the paper was: _What are you two talking about? _Thinking that it was either Gie or Cheer who wrote the note, Cheer grabbed her pen and wrote a reply then slid the paper back. Teacher Inn grabbed the note and read: _It's my business, I'll tell you later. _Teacher Inn took a deep breath to restrain herself and wrote a reply and slid it back to Cheer and Nim. Cheer took the note once again and both her and Nim's eyes grew wide as they saw the last line in the paper: _But I'm teaching. _They both slowly raised their head and saw Teacher Inn standing in front of them. The both of them gave her a small smile and watched her walk away with a huff and glare directed at the two of them. They both gave a sigh of relief as they were not given any form of punishment for their actions. Nim and Cheer both sat straight and looked towards Teacher Inn when they caught sight of Nam looking back at them from the front row.

'You shouldn't have been dreaming about in class' Nam mouthed at them. They both looked at each other and released a small groan.

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"What were the two of you talking about in class earlier anyway, Cheer?" asked Nam as she and Cheer walked towards the school gate.

"Please don't ask, Nam, just don't ask"

"Are you sure Cheer? I mean you didn't even notice teacher Inn!"

"Uggh, please Nam, let's just forget about what happened earlier okay?"

The two of them were about to cross the school's boundaries when they heard several shouts from some of the students.

"What's happening?" Nam asked Cheer

"I don't know, come on let's go back and see."

They jogged back to the school doors when they saw Gie and Nim running towards them.

"Nam, we've been trying to catch up with you!" said Gie while gasping as she ran out of breath from the running he did inside the school.

"Why, what's happening anyways?" asked Nam as she handed Gie her bottle of water

"Thanks, Nam." said Gie once she took a swig from the bottle "Well you see, P'Ding cornered P'Chon after school and they're fighting in the school gym right now!"

"WHAT! Come on let's go!" said Nam as she dragged Cheer and her friends to the school gymnasium. Nam practically flew from the school doors to the gymnasium with the speed that she was dragging her friends with. Once they got near the school gymnasium, they saw a large group of students blocking the gym doors. Nam used her small stature to her advantage and squeezed herself between the gaps that the numerous students' body. She stumbled a bit as she finally got through the small blockade that the other students unknowingly created. She released a small gasp alongside everyone in the gym when she saw P'Ding punch P'Chon.

"You think you can take me on huh?" she heard P'Ding say as P'Chon touched his jaw. "Saving little girls now, eh? You want to be the province hero like your father?" P'Ding laughed loudly and turned to look at their audience.

"You know who his father is? His father is the reason why our province lost in the football championship all those years ago! His father can't even score that penalty kick! What a loser!" P'Ding laughed harder and turned back to face Chon. But before he can fully face Chon, P'Chon punched him hard in the face. Shouts and screams were heard all throughout the gymnasium as P'Ding and P'Chon exchanged kicks and punches.

While all of this was going on, Nam was growing more and more agitated. Every punch and kick that hit their mark would make her close her eyes and every scream and gasp that she hears just adds to her growing nerves. She kept thinking _'Why isn't anybody stopping them!?' _over and over again. She watched as all the students did was gasp or show enthusiasm over the happenings in front of them.

'_If they won't do it then I will stop them!'_ As Nam took a step forward, the schools fire alarms rang loud and clear causing all the sprinklers to activate. All the students ran out of the gymnasium in fear of the supposed fire in the building. She followed the rest of the students out of the gymnasium with only a small glance back to see that P'Chon and P'Ding were also running out. She then ran faster out of the building with none of the students ever seeing her glowing eyes.

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"Well, you don't see that every day." Cheer said while drying off her hair with a towel. They were all in Nam's house trying to dry themselves before heading home.

"You can say that again. P'Ding and P'Chon's fight sure is an interesting way to end the day, but I'm more interested about something else." Nim said as she turned to face Nam "So Nam, how does it feel like to be fought over by two guys?"

"Ehh! You're speaking nonsense, why would they fight over Nam?" Gie asked them sceptically

"You heard P'Ding! They fought because P'Chon saved our very own Nam!"

"You misunderstood him! They fought because P'Ding insulted P'Chon's dad. Even I would be furious if someone insulted my dad." said Nam as she hung the towels they used.

"You're such a killjoy Nam! Yes, P'Chon totally snapped when P'Ding insulted his dad but the whole reason that they even fought in the first place is because P'Chon helped us, helped you."

Nam blushed as what her friends said sank in. She would be lying if she said that the thought of P'Chon fighting for her didn't please her but she can't help but think that the whole reason why P'Chon got in to a fight in the first place is because of her.

'_I'll just make it up to him, somehow.'_

"Well enough of that, I actually have something that you would practically kill for Nam."

"Huh?"

"You see, when all of those students were rushing to get out of the gymnasium, I saw this on the gym floor."

Gie, held up in front of her a single button.

"And what exactly is that?"

"This is a button from P'Chon's uniform!"

Suddenly that button seemed to gain more value in her eyes.

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"Good morning everyone!"

"Good morning Teacher Inn!"

"Before you proceed to your classes, I have an important announcement..."

It was the morning flag raising activity and Nam can already tell that she would have a hard time focusing on her classes for that day. Even now, she barely paid attention as Teacher Inn talked about something related to littering and what-not's. The reason why she can't focus is currently at the bottom of backpack. She brought with her a small box of plasters to give to P'Chon. She was pretty sure that P'Chon would need it.

"And lastly, the students whose name I will call shall proceed to the principal's office during their lunch break. Kai, Maew, Ding, and Chon of M-4; proceed to the principal's office later! That is all, do you understand?" Teacher Inn finished her announcement which was accompanied by hurried whispers among the student body. "I said do you _understand!_" Teacher Inn repeated loudly.

"Yes Teacher Inn!"

"Thank you! I love you!"

And with that the students proceeded to their first class.

-lunch break-

Nam flinched as she heard the sound of a stick hitting someone. This is the reason why everyone was so adamant about not getting in trouble in their school. Unlike some other schools, theirs follow a much more traditional punishment basis. Instead of giving out detentions or suspensions which would pull the students away from their studies for a limited time, their school would serve a much more memorable punishment to ingrain to the students that their misdemeanours would not be tolerated.

"Now will the two of you fight again?" heard Nam

"Really, you are already M-4 students! You should serve as a model to the lower years! And you P'Chon! I expected this kind of behaviour from this lot but not you! You even have an upcoming Photography competition! Focus on that instead of getting in trouble! And that goes to all of you as well, understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

Nam felt her heartbeat getting faster as she heard footsteps coming her way. She faced the wall and started taking deep breaths.

"Okay Nam, just take slow deep breaths, you can do this!" with that she faced the direction she heard the footsteps coming. She saw P'Chon wearing a pained grimace while rubbing his backside. She took one deep breath and called for his attention.

"Uhhm, P'Chon?"

P'Chon looked at her and smiled a little.

"Yes?"

"Ahh, I'm sorry about what happened yesterday..."

"Nah, you don't have to worry about that, it's not your fault anyway." said Chon as he stopped rubbing his sore backside. "Is there something else you want to tell me?"

"Uhm, here." She took a plaster from her bag and walked towards P'Chon. "My mom told me that when you have a cut you must treat them fast so they won't scar. It would be bad for you to have a scar when you look as good as you do" Nam's eyes widened a little as she realized what she just said, she made sure to not look at Chon's eyes and tried to redeem herself "Well, I mean, a scar would look bad on anyone even if they don't look good, but I'm not saying you're bad looking at all, I'm just.. ahh, I'll just shut up now." Nam finally said as she handed the plaster to P'Chon.

"Can you please put it on for me? I don't think I should be moving my arms for a while."

Nam blushed as she heard P'Chon's request.

"O-o-okay."

She peeled the plaster and walked nearer P'Chon. Because of their rather big height difference, Nam had to stand on her heels for a while to reach Chon's cheeks. She looked at the cut on Chon's cheeks before grabbing the plaster to put o his cheeks. While sticking the plaster Nam hummed a little tune that her mom told her would make the pain of someone's wounds go away. She knows now that her mother probably made that up but it started to grow on her. Like the many times she sang this song when treating someone's wounds, she felt that same warmth fill her and she can't help the small smile that always escapes her when she is filled with that warmth. Once she has placed the plaster on Chon's cheeks, she stepped back and stared at her handiwork.

"Well, that's it, I'll just, uhmm, I'll just go then." Nam turned and started to walk back to her classroom with a bright blush on her face as she finally took in what she just did.

"Hey Nam!"

Nam turned her head in surprise. She saw P'Chon smiling at her and she almost missed it when he said:

"Thank you Nam!"

She just nodded her head and continued her walk but instead of walking back to her classroom, she headed for the small area behind the school which she knows is a no-go for other students since it is not the best smelling place in the school. Once she was there, she let that big stupid grin she was holding back take hold of her face.

"HE KNOWS MY NAME!" she started dancing in that small area and continued her chant "HE KNOWS MY NAME! HE KNOWS MY NAME! HE KNOWS—'' she fell to a stop as she saw the school's janitor staring at her like she has gone insane.

"Uhhm, I'm just practicing a line for a speech...Uhhm, I'll just go now."

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"Hey Nam, what will we do now?" asked her friend Gie as they waited for Cheer and Nim outside their classroom

"What will we do about what?"

"About P'Chon of course! You said it yourself that he actually called you by your name, so that must mean that something we have done actually worked!"

"I don't know Gie. I'm out of ideas. How about that book? What's the next step there anyway."

"Well, we sort of passed over that already, the 4th step was something about owning an object from the one you care for which you already have and the fifth one is about doing something before sleeping which will then lead your man to know who you are but since he already knows your name, that step is practically over now."

"And step 6?"

"I don't know yet. Cheer left the book at her place."

"What are you two talking about?" asked Cheer as she and Nim finally joined her friends.

"We're talking about the next step in the book. Do you remember the 6th step in the book?"

"Oh yeah! The 6th step is to spend some time with the person you care for the most but he must not think that you are actively pursuing him, this way you would slowly ingrain yourself to his heart.

"But how would I do that?"

"See, I already thought of that. Haven't you ever thought of riding with P'Chon on his motorcycle? Just think about it, P'Chon escorting you home and once he dropped you off at your place you will give him those mangoes you talk about! Isn't that romantic!"

Nam just nodded her head frantically not trusting her speech process at the moment.

"But how would we do that?"

"Well, with this." Cheer stepped near Nam and stepped on her foot hard.

"OUCH!" Nam yelped as she grabbed hold of her now aching foot.

"What did you do that for!" Nam said as she nursed her sore ankle.

"For this!" then Cheer pushed Nam hard.

Nam stumbled and bumped into a body who steadied her as she was about to fall.

"Woah! Easy there!" Nam heard as she was helped to stand straight by the one who caught her. Nam turned her head and thanked the one who got a hold of her. The one who caught her, to her joy and disappointment was not P'Chon. By the looks of it, he was probably a new student judging by the missing pin from his uniform.

"Are you okay, now?"

"Yeah, I just twisted my ankle."

"Can you walk still?"

"I think I can manage." Nam tried to walk but the sudden weight to her foot caused her to once again stumble.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride home."

"Oh no, you don't have to!" said Nam

"I insist, come on!" with that the guy helped her to a white motorcycle right beside Chon's red one.

"Uhm, thank you by the way. I'm Nam from M-1." introduced Nam to the guy as he gave her a helmet to wear.

"No worries, the name's Top, I'm an incoming M-5 student."

"Incoming?"

"Yeah, I will start school here next year, I just finished giving the requirements to the office today." Top said as he wore his own helmet. "Wait for a sec okay." Top said to her as he got in the motorcycle. "Hey Chon!" he shouted. Nam turned her head and stared as Chon was getting ready to ride his cycle as well but there sitting in the back was P'Faye, the M-1 student who gave Chon the mango cake.

"Oh,Top, you finished already?"

"Yeah, just finished passing the requirements, I'll go ahead of you, I just need to get this firstie home."

"You too, miss mango cake here tripped so I'll just escort her home too."

"You got your own firstie too, huh. I'll just see you later in the sports shop okay?"

"Sure!"

Top then started the motorcycle and as they were about to leave, Nam saw P'Faye give her a small smirk.

'_Well, looks like step 6 is a failure'_

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**NEXT CHAPTER: THE START OF M-2**


	4. M-2

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Yay! We are now on chapter 4! There will be a bit of a gap between the events of last chapter and the start of chapter 4. Oh, just a reminder, they live in Thailand that is the reason why you see me put the letter P before their names. I have already outlined the rest of the chapters for this story so you can expect faster updates. About those who ask about my other story The Sands of Time, a HP x Avengers story, is taking a backseat for now because my mom confiscated the hard drive it is saved in. Oh, another thing, do any of you know about the movie Love of Siam? I have written a one-shot regarding it but I do not know if any readers here would know it.

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_Last time..._

"_Yeah, I will start school here next __year;__ I just finished giving the requirements to the office today." Top said as he wore his own helmet. "Wait for a sec okay." Top said to her as he got in the motorcycle. "Hey Chon!" he shouted. Nam turned her head and stared as Chon was getting ready to ride his cycle as well but there sitting in the back was P'Faye, the M-1 student who gave Chon the mango cake._

"_Oh,__ are__ you finished already?"_

"_Yeah, just finished passing the requirements, I'll go ahead of you, I just need to get this firstie home."_

"_You too, miss mango cake here tripped so I'll just escort her home too."_

"_You got your own firstie too, huh. I'll just see you later in the sports shop okay?"_

"_Sure!"_

_Top then started the motorcycle and as they were about to leave, Nam saw P'Faye give her a small smirk._

'_Well, looks like step 6 is a failure'_

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"Mom, mom! Look! Nam has a boyfriend!"

Nam was running down the stairs trying to catch up to her sister, Pang. She was alone in her room trying to draw the exact moment that she gave that plaster to P'Chon. She was admiring her work when Pang barged in her room and saw her work. Pang grabbed her drawing and then ran down the stairs yelling for their mom. She was just reaching the bottom of the stairs when she saw Pang show her mom the drawing she did.

"Look mom, Nam got herself a boyfriend!" Pang said to their mother while looking at Nam whit a small smirk. Their mother turned to Nam with a frown on her face.

"Is this true, Nam? If you have a boyfriend how can you focus on studying? How will you get to see your dad then?" her mom gave a small sigh and continued with what she was doing. "Return to your room and study, Nam." Her mother said to her.

Nam walked upstairs dejectedly. She just slumped in her bed and moped.

'_He's not even my boyfriend'_

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Nam was sulking in their veranda. It has been a while but she still hasn't gotten over the brattish tendencies of her younger sister. She can't believe that her sister would get her into this kind of trouble. It is already their summer vacation; Nam would now be an M-2 student in the next school year. It has been three days already and she still has 4 more days before she is ungrounded. She was staring off into space thinking about ways to possibly get payback over her sister so she did not notice her friends calling her from the streets.

"Hey, Nam! Nam! NAM!"

She was startled out of his thoughts by the shout. She looked down to where she heard the shouts and saw her friends leaning on their fence.

"Oh, what are you doing here?"

"A little birdie told us that you were sulking and bawling your hearts out so here we are!"

"Shh! Be quiet!" Nam said while looking back inside the house. "My mom might hear you!"

"Don't worry, she won't hear us, we passed by your mother on her way to the market. So we basically are allowed to be here."

"Wait, a minute, I'll just open the door!" said Nam excitedly. She ran from the veranda to their door in a span of seconds and practically ripped their doors open.

"Nam, when would your mom broaden out the stairs?" Cheer said as they had a hard time climbing up the stairs.

"Hey, Nam, let's try another step!"

Nam and her friends situated themselves around a table in the veranda so they can see the seventh step in the book.

"Well, according to the book, the seventh step comes from the Gypsy. They say that love should serve as an instrument to better one's self. The love we feel should help us become more beautiful, smarter, and better in every aspect. This way our love can finally take note of us." Nim read from the book.

"Well, you are already working on the getting smarter part for your dad so that leaves us with one aspect down. We'll just have to help turn you into a more beautiful girl then!"

With that, Nim, Gie, and Cheer grabbed Nam and plopped Nam on a stool. Operation duck-to-swan is now in session.

_Step 1: Hair_

"Ouch! Be careful with combing my hair Cheer!" Nam complained as Cheer combed her hair.

"Hey, it's not my fault your hair is all messy and tangled up! Gie, hand me the scissors."

"Wait! What are you going to do with those scissors?" said Nam nervously

"I'm going to style your hair of course! Then we're going to add a bit of color to it, maybe a nice chestnut brown."

"Do you even know how to cut someone's hair!?"

"My family owns a parlor Nam; of course I know how to do this"

_Step 2: Face_

"Don't move your face, Nam!"

"But it's starting to itch!" Nam said as Nim continued applying crème to her face "Just keep your face still, Nam. Once it dries you would feel it cling to your skin and it might irritate you a bit but don't you dare remove it okay?"

Nam just continued staring at her friends, afraid that her movements would do something bad to whatever her friends were putting on her.

"Now, we will cover your eyes with these." Nim told her as she showed Nam several circular slices of fruits and vegetables.

"First is cucumber, then tomatoes, then the oranges and lastly a whole circular slice of watermelon."

"WATERMELON!"

_Step 3: Skin_

"P'Chon has a nice white skin so you must have that too." said Gie as she started scrubbing all over Nam's arms.

Nam was grimacing in pain as the rough surface of the scrub is rubbed on her skin.

"We're already rubbing her skin off; I think it's time to put that kamin now, Cheer."

"Kamin?" asked Nam

"It's a rub for skin whitening." said Cheer

_Final Result_

"Mission accomplished!" said Nim, Gie, and Cheer as they stared at Nam.

"I don't know guys..." said Nam as she stared at herself in the mirror. She can see no change at all. She still looked the same except for...

"Am I supposed to be color yellow?"

"Oh, that's just the kamin, wait for it to get absorbed by the skin"

"Are you sure this isn't permanent?" Nam asked as she turned in front of the mirror trying to see if there are any more differences in her.

"Don't be so paranoid Nam; I swear to you that once that is absorbed by your skin, you will definitely become whiter!"

"Well, only one way to find out if step even is a success." said Gie as she started to tidy up the veranda.

"How is that?" asked Nam as she faced her friends.

"By letting P'Chon see you, of course!"

Nam felt that her day just turned from bad to worse. Unseen to her and her friends was a small glimmer that ran along his skin, hidden by the kamin that they applied to her.

HP*CLTCL

"I look silly." Nam said as her friends pushed her towards Promchai Sports Club, the sports shop that P'Chon's family owns.

"No, you don't."

"I have a white ribbon and feather on my head, how can I not look silly?"

"We are all wearing it Nam! You don't look silly, trust me."

They entered the sports shop and acted like they were searching for something.

"Hello ladies! Just tell me if you need anything!" a cheery old man with a balding head greeted them.

'_This must be P'Chon's dad, they have the same eyes.' _Nam thought as she nodded and went off in search of P'Chon.

Nam got to the end of the shop where the employee room is situated and she has yet to see P'Chon. She went off in search of her friends instead.

"I don't think P'Chon is here, Nam." Cheer said as they all met up.

"Yeah, I don't see his motorcycle anywhere." said Gie

"Have you found what you were looking for, girls?" they heard P'Chon's dad ask them. Nam hurriedly picked up the nearest thing to her which happened to be a tube of table tennis balls.

"Yes, here it is." They walked to the cashier where they paid for their purchase.

"Better luck next time then, Nam" said Cheer

"Well, looks like you won't need that luck Nam look who is coming." said Nim as she looked at the entrance of the shop.

Nam followed Nim's look and saw a red motorcycle parked at the front of the shop. Entering the shop was P'Chon. Nam felt as if she was suddenly paralyzed, she couldn't move from the spot where she was standing then she thought she heard the trumpets of the angels sound as P'Chon smiled at her.

"Oh, hey Nam, what did you buy?" asked P'Chon once he got close to Nam. Nam merely stared at him and opened her palm where she is holding the ping pong ball. P'Chon looked at her outstretched hand and said "Ping pong ball? You play table tennis?" Nam took a long-time to answer P'Chon's question causing him to look at her worriedly. P'Chon then placed his hand on Nam's forehead as if checking her temperature.

"Hey are you okay? You're yellowish, do you have jaundice?"

Before Nam can answer, someone interrupted their admittedly one-sided conversation.

"Hey, P'Shone!" P'Faye shouted from the entrance of the shop.

"Oh, miss mango cake, what do you want to buy?" asked P'Chon from her position in front of Nam.

"Some ping pong balls, please."

"Okay, come on follow me." P'Chon gestured to P'Faye but before he leaves he calls out to Nam.

"See you at school next month Nam."

Nam merely smiled and nodded her head. P'Nam then turned to P'Faye and she saw her give her a smirk, obviously taunting her. While P'Faye was staring at her, Nam discreetly let a ping pong ball drop to the floor, once she saw the ball drop in front of Faye, she returned the smirk. Faye then stepped on the dropped ball causing her to stumble and drag along half of the shoe display where she held on to stop herself from falling. Nam just laughed and ran away with her friends from the shop.

'_Payback is so sweet!'_

HP*CLTCL

"What exactly are we doing in this line again?" asked Nam

She is now an M-2 student, and as stated by the school rules all students from M-2 and above are required to join a club. Frankly, she did not want to join the club that her friends want them to join. They want to join the "Classical Dance Club" headed by Teacher Orn. She has nothing against classical dances and Teacher Orn but she knew that even if they signed up in the club, they would never be accepted. The Classical Dance Club is a club well-known because they only accept beautiful girls from all the years and truth be told, none of them fit the criteria. Well, she now has brighter skin, not yet fair but surely lighter than her dark coloring then but still, with her big glasses covering her face, she still looked like a bug, Cheer on the other hand was fat, Gie was basically a tomboy in looks and Nim has a hairstyle of an elementary student. The moment they got in front of line Nam was pretty sure they would be rejected.

"Look at it this way Nam, once we got in to this club then P'Chon would definitely notice you!"

"How can you even be so sure that we would be accepted anyway." argued Nam

"Just trust in me Nam!"

Nam was about to argue back when some of the girls in line started giggling, P'Faye and her friend P'Kwan being the loudest.

"Hey P'Chon, which club are you going to join?" asked P'Faye

"I'm joining the Photo Club." P'Chon said pointing to the camera hanging around her neck.

"Oh, do you need a model? You can tell me if you need one, I can pose for you!" claimed P'Faye enthusiastically.

"I only take pictures of nature not people." replied P'Chon

"P'Chon, stop kidding me" said P'Faye with a flirty giggle

"No, I'm serious" said P'Chon

Nam and her friends can't stop the laugh that burst out of their lips as they saw the gobsmacked look on P'Faye's face. Because of their laugh they inadvertently gained the glares of P'Faye and her group and the attention of P'Chon and his friends.

"Oh, hey Nam! You look brighter than the last time I saw you! Are you feeling okay now?" asked P'Chon

Nam just rubbed the back of her neck and uttered a small yes.

"That's good then, I'll watch your performance in the school festival then, okay Nam? See you guys later." said P'Chon before he left with his friends.

Once P'Chon and his group were out of their sight Nam let out a small scream of delight at the attention P'Chon gave her.

"That's a good thing Nam! P'Chon gave you a positive remark! We must have done something right." Said Cheer to her

"See, with a compliment like that from P'Chon, you can surely join the club of the beautiful girls." Said Nim decisively

"You can join the club sure, not so sure about the beautiful part though." P'Faye said

Nam's eyes narrowed as she heard P'Faye's words.

"What's your problem P'Faye?" Nam asked

"I don't know what you're talking about; I'm just talking to Kwan here."

"Who are you kidding P'Faye! You want a fight huh!" said Gie as she walked towards P'Faye

"Stay away from me!" said P'Faye pushing Gie away from her which prompted Cheer and Nim to push P'Faye as well. In their small squabble they did not notice that their fight caught the attention of the teachers at the head of the registration table.

"All of the students fighting over there! Get out of the line!" shouted Teacher Orn from the registration table.

Nam, Gie, Cheer, and Nim along with Faye and Kwan glared at each other and stepped out of the line. Before they can leave they heard Teacher Orn talk once again.

"Wait, Faye and Kwan return to the line."

Nam just gaped at disbelief at Teacher Orn and walked away with her friends.

HP*CLTCL

"I can't believe them!" Nam exclaimed as they sat down in the cafeteria.

"I know, right? We got eliminated from the club when we haven't even signed-up yet!" said Nim with a huff

"Aggh! Wait for me here I'll just grab something to drink, any of you want something?"

"Nope, we have ours here."

"Okay then" Nam stood up and walked towards the stalls to buy some drinks. Before she can even reach the stalls someone called her name.

"Hey Nam!" P'Faye called from the table Nam was currently passing by

"What do you want now, P'Faye?"

"Actually, I want to apologize about what happened earlier. I just want to say that I'm sorry about everything I said and did to you and your friends."

Nam took a deep breath and tried to calm herself a little so that she won't sound rude to P'Faye. Well they did say that everyone can change, maybe P'Faye was just one of those late-bloomers in that department.

"It's okay, I also need to apologize about what happened, and it's my fault as well." Nam said

"Actually I have a peace offering to you. I grabbed an extra drink" P'Faye said pointing to a glass in front of her "Here, you can have it" she said while offering Nam the drink.

Nam took the offered drink and was about to take a sip when someone took a hold of her hand, stopping her from drinking.

"Wait, before you do that let her drink it first." said a female student as she glared at P'Faye. The clearly older girl took her hands with the glass and offered it back to P'Faye. "Come on, why won't you drink it?" Nam watched as P'Faye clearly looked uncomfortable from what the older student was saying.

"You should go now and don't forget to throw that drink if you don't want to drink water with fish sauce." said the older student as she turned to Nam.

Nam just nodded her head and went back to her table with few glances back at the table where P'Faye was sitting.

"What's the problem, Nam?"

"P'Faye offered me a drink with fish sauce." Nam said sitting down and placing the glass in their table.

"She sunk that low huh?" said Gie as she looked at the glass of fish-sauce drink.

"Enough of P'Faye for now guys. We have another problem way more important than her." Said Cheer, diverting their attention from the glass.

"And what is that?" said Nim

"We still do not have a club and if we don't apply for one then we won't be able to get a clearance for this year." Said Cheer

They all groaned as the realization of how big their problem really is.

"Here you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" said Teacher Inn as she stood at their table

"Now smile!" Teacher Inn said. Nam and her friends smiled at her.

"Be sullen!" they all dropped the smile

"Now laugh!" and they all laughed with Teacher Inn joining in their laughter

"Excellent! Now meet me at the auditorium tomorrow after classes okay?" said Teacher Inn

"But Tea-"

"Shh! Be quiet!" Teacher Inn said while looking at her sides "I offer this to limited students only so you better be silent about this okay?" with that Teacher Inn was about to walk away when she noticed the glass in the table.

"Ooh, I'll just have a drink, okay?"

They all tried to stop Teacher Inn from drinking but the straw was already in her mouth. They watched in horrified fascination as Teacher Inn's face scrunched up and her lips puffed. They all averted their gaze from Teacher Inn as they saw the headmaster coming their way.

"Teacher Inn! Are you okay!" the headmaster said as he approached Teacher Inn. He looked at the scrunched face and the puffed cheeks of Teacher Inn and thought that she was sick.

"Are you okay? Answer me!" said the headmaster, slapping Teacher Inn's face lightly to get whatever it is that is stuck in her mouth out. Teacher Inn let out muffled noises clearly having a hard time with her current predicament. Her face scrunched up even more as she swallowed the remaining fish-sauce.

"Are you okay now?" asked the headmaster

"I'm fine" said Teacher Inn but the headmaster had to cover his nose as the smell of fish sauce lingered in her breath.

"I think you should clean up first Teacher Inn, come on I'll accompany you." Said the headmaster as he lead Teacher Inn away from Nam and her friends.

"Well at least we don't have to worry about finding a club right?" Nam said as she tried to disperse the uncomfortable silence.

'_What have I gotten myself into now?'_

HP*CLTCL

**NEXT CHAPTER: THE START OF A FAIRYTALE **


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